Three rules to get through life!

When I was a kid, my Mom told me that there are three rules to follow to get through life. 

#1 – Never buy an expensive umbrella.  It will only get broken by some gust of wind, or you’ll end up losing it.

#2 – Never buy expensive sunglasses.  You will lose them, or they’ll get scratched or break.

#3 – Never sit on a public toilet seat.  This one really requires no explanation.

I’ve actually followed all of these rules!  And so far, I’m getting through life!  Thanks Mom!

Everyone has their list ... man, "lists" keep coming up in a lot of my topics!  I think I have some sort of list addiction! ... sorry, I digress … Everyone has their list of things that they will never do, or things that they must always do.  Where do these ideas of never or always come from?  Did everyone’s Mom pass on these gems?

I’ve come up with a few other “never” things that I am going to add to my Mom’s list.  I actually think these “rules” are even more important than my Mom’s rules.  Well, maybe not more important than never sitting on a public toilet seat!  Seriously, just don’t do that!!!

1.                   Never be so concerned that something has the right “label” or “brand name”.  In junior high school, all the girls were wearing designer jeans.  I wanted to do the same.  I begged my Mom!  She was shocked by the price tag, but finally gave in and got me a pair of designer jeans.  And I wore them with so much pride!  

But, was it really so necessary to have them?  I could argue both sides.  No, it wasn’t.  Non-name brand jeans would have kept me clothed just as well, and would not have been as expensive.  But yes, it was.  Because having those jeans was one more step towards fitting in.  And in junior high, that is the highest priority.  Now, that’s a whole other blog to write, about fitting in and the consequences of not doing so.  So, we’ll just leave it at that for now.  But as an adult, I know that the label or the brand name doesn’t really matter. Well, at least it doesn’t matter most of the time.  Which brings me to ….

2.                   Never be so concerned about getting something that is not the more expensive name brand, that you end up losing quality.  While I will definitely try to buy the “store” brand of certain things, because they are a LOT less expensive for the same exact thing, there are certain things that are just not as good or as high quality.  So it’s a thin line to walk, between not being concerned about the brand name/label and being concerned that you may be sacrificing quality.

And this last one is most important!!!

3.                   NEVER WORRY MORE ABOUT WHAT OTHERS THINK OF YOU, THAN WHAT YOU THINK OF YOURSELF!!! This one actually gets a lot easier as we get older.  But if I could pass this jewel on to someone younger, and they followed this advice, it would make me so happy! 

Personally, I have always tried to live my life in a way that keeps others in mind.  Meaning, that I try to not do things that are selfish, or could hurt someone else (definitely not physically, but also not emotionally either).  But at the same point, if I do choose to do something or act some way that isn’t going to have a negative effect, yet may get me made fun of or thought of in a “non-popular” way  … I don’t care!  I am going to have fun, I am going to be true to myself, and I am not going to give a rat’s ass if someone else has too many hang-ups of their own to be able to appreciate my joy! 

Remember, you’re the only one that has to spend 24/7 with you.  So you better make sure to be happy with who you are!!  If you stop to think about this, and can’t say that you are happy with YOU … make the changes necessary to become happy!! 

Stop trying to make your family happy, your friends happy, and definitely stop trying to please strangers!  I’m not saying go out of your way to make anyone miserable.  But make sure you, yourself, are happy first.  Because, like the line from one of my favorite Alter Bridge songs goes … “How can you love someone, and not yourself?”

So go out there, buy cheap umbrellas and sunglasses, never sit on a public toilet seat, and BE TRUE TO YOURSELF AND TO WHAT WILL MAKE YOU HAPPY!!